English – Chinese
We received the following letter from a new reader:
I am sorry that you think that you know what life is all about without enjoying the times that you have here now. I visit [music] sites to enjoy my time here and if you cannot that is a terrible shame for you haven’t found the lord like you think you have. When you have lost sight and cannot find your way all you have to do is hold your hand out for guidance and there will someone to guide you along the way.
Here is Paul’s response:
Fred, greetings in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior Who forsook the enjoyment of His time so that we might have life.
This life is not about whether we are enjoying ourselves, unless you wish to forgo true enjoyment of life. We do live by every word of God. In this we have personally been greatly blessed, contrary to how you see things, because we have life in Jesus Christ. He promised ever-renewing life to those who believe on (commit themselves totally to) Him.
“He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water'” (John 7:38).
We have found all His promises to be true, Fred. He is no liar. He is real, and He has paid the price for us to enter into life, though it costs us our lives to do so.
We see devastation all around us. We see people being destroyed while they seek after pleasures. We see people incurring the wrath of God while they take His Name in vain with such foolish notions as “Twinkies, Root Beer, and God” (READERS: If you wish to see the letter Victor wrote in response to “Twinkies…,” please ask). God would have people to live, and not destroy themselves forever. For this reason we are sent by Him to speak. That you do not see that life is not about our present enjoyment, shows me that you are either lying, or in denial, or completely blind to reality. Whatever the case, we are calling you to repent of your blindness, in which you love your good times more than God, and to turn to Him Who paid for you with His life.
Then you will find life in His pleasures:
“How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! And the sons of men take refuge under the shadow of Your wing. They shall be satisfied with the fatness of Your house; and You shall make them drink of the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we shall see light” (Psalms 36:7-9).
And:
“You will make Me know the way of life; in Your presence is fulness of joy. At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalms 16:11).
The wisest man of his day, who, as a wealthy king, tried every sort of amusement and endeavor possible, summed up what our lives should be about, as follows:
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments. For this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it is good, or whether evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
You should read all of Ecclesiastes, and consider what is said there. Then let me know what you think, if you will.
Paul
Victor’s response:
Greetings in the wonderful Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Fred!
I can tell you with the greatest of enthusiasm and conviction that we have very Life Himself. Never have I had more joy and victory than with Him, Who is the Prince of peace and man’s true fulfilment. As you, I also once thought the fluff of men’s imaginations, as represented in that site writing on “Twinkies, Root Beer and God” was legitimate and substantial. How wrong I was! I would compare the enjoyment of that kind of life to what we have in the Creator as I would compare the life of a grub to that of an eagle. Truly, the illustration falls far short. Please understand: I am not trying to be funny or deprecating, but honest and accurate.
Over thirty years ago, I was “eating Twinkies and drinking root beer,” spiritually as well as physically. Then a realization came to me that there was infinitely more to life than sweet thoughts and dreams. I held out my hand, as you suggested, though Jesus Christ held out His hand to me first, by breaking a leg on a ski hill, getting my attention, and then began the most exciting odyssey, leading from faith to faith, and from glory to glory.
You have no idea, you poor soul! Let me warn you, Fred. The people of the earth were all “enjoying life” and feeling sorry for the “poor and crazed old man” who, with his wife, sons and daughter-in-laws were spending many years building this silly and huge ship, until the flood came and destroyed all living things. Noah and his “unenjoying” household were the only ones spared. In the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, they were “enjoying life,” while Lot’s soul was vexed at their pleasures, until God rained fire and sulfur down from heaven and destroyed their “enjoyment,” along with them. Only Lot and his two daughters were spared by God because they were not “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4).
Finally, Jesus said that His Day of coming would be as in the days of Noah, all things apparently quite normal and full of activity, wherein people would be “enjoying life,” eating (Twinkies) and drinking (root beer), sowing and reaping, building, marrying and giving in marriage. Then would come sudden destruction. Truth would enter and disillusion all those who thought they “had a handle on life” but did not. So it is now. We have come to you speaking the truth, and you will not be able to walk away and continue to live as you have any longer. As a plant begins to spring up out of the ground from a seed sown, so you will begin to realize, by the things you have heard from us today, that you fall far short of what is not only available to, but required of you by God.
Fred, in sobriety and earnestness, I urge you to seek after God, Whose hand you have yet to find. Your pleasure seeking is selfish. There are many hurting people, and Twinkies and Root Beer stories will do nothing to assuage their pain. They need Jesus Christ, THE Answer to all things, for all things are His. You need to “change your mind,” that is, to repent.
Serving Him in Reality, in Truth, by His Spirit, with joy,
Victor